The Heroic SpiderMan
by Anthony Jones
Summary: Original stories about our friendly neighborhood SpiderMan, but perhaps a little darker.
1. Sins of the Spider Part 1

**T H E H E R O I C S P I D E R - M A N**

"**Sins of the Spider"  
Part 1: Regret**

High above the streets of New York, a single champion looks down upon the massive metropolis searching within himself for the strength to go on in his fight against the forces of evil. The champion's name: Peter Parker; but the rest of the world, for good or bad, will always know him as Spider-Man. He finds the strength he needs to continue in the words of a man long dead: "With great power, comes great responsibility."

…6 days earlier…

The spider soars with acrobatic grace through the Manhattan sky while in the west the sun starts its descent. _It'll be night soon_, he thinks to himself knowing full well what that entails in these parts; _danger's a comin'_. As he continues through the city, slinging his way from building to building, he thinks about all the things he has to do; all of his _responsibilities_. College: having to maintain a 3.0 GPA to keep his scholarship to NYU. Job: making sure he gets enough good pictures so he gets paid. Girlfriend: trying to keep Mary Jane happy. For an average person, that would be stressful enough, but Peter Parker is Spider-Man; he has a lot more on his plate than most.

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion blasts through the air and firelight pierces the darkening sky. The webslinger quickly shoots a web toward the nearest building and swings himself toward its roof. He searches for the direction of the explosion and finds a cop car burning on the street. Looking closer, Spidey becomes horrified when he notices that the car's riders, two NYPD officers, are still trapped inside and screaming in agony.

After rushing as fast as he can toward the edge of the building, Spider-man jumps off the roof he's on and rushes toward the direction of the cop car; but by the time he's halfway there, it's already too late. The two cops, who only moments ago were crying in pain and trying to escape their infernal prison, are now just lifeless figures turning ash black as the fire burns their bodies into nothingness.

Now he's pissed. If he would've acted faster he might have been able to save the officers; well, probably not, but that's what's going through his mind as he continues toward the burning vehicle. He does a forward mid-air somersault before landing on the ground next to the still-flaming car. Staring at the charred remains inside, Spidey lowers his head in disgust. Suddenly, his spider-sense goes insane warning him of some oncoming danger. No time to think, only to react. He does a backflip and lands in a crawl position on the side of the closest building as a small missile hits the ground he was just on causing another explosion.

"I thought that might get your attention," a voice from across the street says. Spider-Man looks up and sees an unrecognizable figure in ironclad armor from head to toe. The armor sort of reminds him of Iron Man's, only this guy's is chrome-colored and it looks a little less sophisticated.

Spider-man, searching through his memory for any recollection of the man, asks, "Who are you? Did you kill these cops?"

"Well, I had to get your attention somehow," the armored man responds. "As to who I am, I'm the man that's going to kill y…" Before he even finishes his sentence, Spidey shoots a web at the small missile launcher in his hand and tosses it far enough away that the armored man can't reach it. "Oh you sneaky little bastard," he says, realizing what Spider-man just did, "I'm gonna enjoy ending you."

Spider-man's signature cockiness comes along when he responds by saying, "Yea, yea, yea, I've heard it all before. 'I'm going to kill you,' blah, blah, blah. It always ends the same though; the bad guy goes to jail and your friendly neighborhood Spider-man rides off in the sunset." He was right about that, it _does_ always end the same. Somebody gets hurt, or even dies; Spidey stops the bad guy and waits for the next day when it happens all over again. It was disillusioning at times, but that didn't matter at the moment. For now, he just had to focus on his job which was to stop this smug son of a bitch from killing anyone else.

Spider-man jumps off the building and shoots a web out in the distance that allows him to swing toward the armored man. Like a lightning bolt, he comes straight down on the villain with both his legs stretched out and kicks him with his heels. The armored man just thrust his chest out expecting the blow and when it comes, it hurts Spidey more than the armored man as it just knocks him back a couple of inches. Before Spider-man has a chance to jump back, the armored man delivers a hard right cross to the spider's midsection knocking him through a nearby parking meter and onto the street where he rolls to a stop.

As Spider-man jumps back up to his feet, he looks around and notices a crowd gathering around, though keeping its distance from the battle. Focusing back on the armored man, he says, "Well, I guess that's not plastic you've got on," hoping to get a response.

"Nope," says the armored man as he bangs his knuckles twice on his chest, "Cold hard steel." That's what Spider-man needed to hear. If it were adamantium or whatever the hell Cap's shield was made of, he wouldn't stand a chance, but he might be able to get through steel. He looks down and sees the parking meter he went through lying on the street and takes note of it before shooting webs from both of his arms toward the armored man. After the webbing hits the armored man's shins, Spidey pulls as hard as he can making the armored man fall backwards.

Acting quickly, Spidey grabs the dislodged parking meter and leaps high in the air ready to strike a blow to the armored man, who was getting up after his fall. As Spider-man comes down, he humorously says, "Spidey's at the plate. He swings…" He does as he says; he lands and swings the parking meter, but the armored man reacts quickly and grabs the meter with his left hand. The armored man smiles as he says in a calm, relaxed voice, "Strike." He pulls the meter away from Spider-man and attempts to punch him with his free hand. Spidey dodges the blow but isn't quick enough to avoid a second attack where the armored man whacks him with the parking meter and knocks him across the street.

Spider-man lies on the damaged sidewalk as onlookers watch his agony; some in horror, some in amazement, and some in excitement. He hears nearby voice say, "Stop or I'll shoot." Spidey turns his head to see a cop pointing a gun at the armored man. Though a little dazed, Spider-man notices that the cop is sweating and shaking nervously. He sees the armored man going toward the cop and tries to shake the pain off because he knows that the armor is probably bulletproof and the cop won't stand a chance.

The cop shoots the armored man. The bullet hits the armor making a ding sound, but does no damage, just as the spider predicted. With an evil smile still on his face, the armored man swipes the gun from the cop and knocks him about twenty feet away with a swing of his arm. "Thanks for the gun," he says. "This'll work just fine." He points the gun at Spider-man, who is already on his feet but holding on to his stomach with his right arm. The armored man holds the gun steady and says, "The end of Spider-man" as he pulls the trigger of the gun.

Spider-man hears the gun shot and leans backwards to avoid it. Arching his back and holding himself up with his left hand, he sees the bullet screech by him. For everybody else, the moment happened instantaneously but for Spider-man, everything happened in slow-motion thanks to his super senses. Leaning his head back, he sees what's going to happen before it does. A small boy in the distance licks a popsicle and cheers for Spider-man to beat the bad guy. He's not upset that Spidey's losing, because he knows his hero will come through at the end. All these thoughts go through him until the bullet pierces his forehead and knocks him to the ground.

The crowd is speechless. Other than the ambient, big city noise the only thing heard is a loud scream, "Noooooooooooooooo!" It's the boy's mother, at least that's what everybody there assumed. She picks up the boy and tears of misery fall from her eyes onto the lifeless body. Spidey is paralyzed. The cops were one thing; yes, it was sad, but they were grown men whose job made them look death in the eye everyday. This was an innocent child who lived for maybe a decade if not less, and now he'll never have a life.

The spider-sense is roaring once again and Spidey knows exactly why. The armored man moved in closer while he was focused on the dead kid. Now, at point-blank range, the armored man prepares to shoot him again but the enraged Spider-man turns quickly and punches the armored man in the head as hard as he can. The punch nearly breaks Spidey's hand but the intensity of it knocks the armored man flat on his back and rips off his helmet. His head bangs against the street pavement knocking him out on contact. One more villain down, another innocent lost, and darkness envelopes the city as the sun finally sets on this tragic day.

Moments pass and your friendly neighborhood Spider-man swings off in the night wondering about the three lives that could've been saved had he been a little bit faster, a little bit stronger, or a little bit more heroic.

To be continued…


	2. Sins of the Spider Part 2

"**Sins of the Spider"**

**Part 2: Redemption**

_"Two days have passed since the tragedy in Manhattan where a stray bullet killed nine-year-old Terrence Johnson. The incident occurred during a brawl between New York's controversial masked man Spider-Man and an unknown armored villain who would later be identified as Lieutenant John Barnum, a former U.S. Marine who was dishonorably discharged. Also killed in the incident were two NYPD…_

Peter Parker turns the TV off and sighs. "How are you holding up?" asks the beautiful redhead sitting next to Peter on the comfy leather couch: Mary Jane Watson, devoted girlfriend and one of the very few people who know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Seeing the grief in his eyes, she says, "I know it's been hard for you, but it's not your fault. You did everything you could for those cops and that little boy."

Peter looks at his girlfriend with sad but thankful eyes and says, "Thanks MJ, but it _is_ my fault. That guy, Barnum, was looking for _me_. The only reason he killed those cops was to get _my_ attention and the only reason the kid was killed was because he took a bullet that was meant for _me._" It hits him. All of a sudden, like a lightning bolt, he remembers the words of the armored man. _I had to get your attention somehow._

"What's the matter, Tiger?" Mary Jane asks with a tone of concern in her voice.

Peter turns to his supportive girlfriend and tells her what's on his mind. "The guy in the armor, Barnum, he killed those cops to get my attention."

"Yea, you said that," Mary Jane answers, wondering where he's going with this.

Peter continues: "I know, but why? I've never met the guy before, so why did he want to kill me?"

Mary Jane looks away for a second contemplating the question and then looks back at Peter to say, "Maybe you did something to a family member or a close friend, like put them in jail."

"Or maybe somebody hired him to kill Spider-Man," responds Peter. "I won't know for sure until I talk to him." He gets off the couch and takes off his shirt revealing the classic red and blue Spider-Man outfit.

Mary Jane then asks, "How are you going to get to a guy in jail?"

Peter, now taking off his pants, says, "He's not in jail. He's at St. Mary's still recovering from the fight." Now the whole Spidey suit is revealed except for the mask which he pulls out of a desk drawer and holds in his hand.

"Well, good luck Tiger," Mary Jane says to him as she gets up and walks toward him. "Hope you find what you're looking for." She leans in close and kisses him.

"Thanks," Peter says as he puts on his mask completing the transformation into Spider-Man. "Don't wait up." He opens his tenth floor window looking out on the city and jumps into the night.

"Be careful, Pete," Mary Jane says in a hushed voice as she watches her boyfriend swing off in the distance.

As Spider-Man flows through the air, flashes of the events two days ago plague his mind: the two cops burning to death, the brutal fight against Barnum the armored man, but most of all, the look on that little boy's face as the bullet shatters his skull. _Snap out of it Spidey,_ he thinks to himself, _you've gotta focus on the task at hand._

When he arrives at St. Mary's Hospital, landing on the outside wall, Spider-Man crawls toward Barnum's room window. As he peers in, he notices a doctor and a nurse standing over Barnum's bed. Barnum, who's cuffed to the bed by his ankles and wrists, just lies there quietly sleeping. Trying not to be seen, Spidey carefully leans in toward the window and overhears the conversation between the doctor and the nurse.

_Doctor: …Looks like the sedative is working. He should be out for the rest of the night._

_Nurse: Thanks Tom, he was such a pain in the ass._

_Doctor: No problem. By the way, how's Rick? The two of you have…_

They keep talking but the wall-crawler stops listening. _Damn it,_ he thinks to himself, _Guess I'll have to wait till tomorrow to get any answers from him; nothing else to do now but head home. _Spider-Man jumps off of the building into a spinning backflip and swings away. Not long after he starts heading into the direction of his apartment, he hears a gunshot and, soon after, screaming. When he realizes its coming from the hospital's direction, immediately turns around and shoots webbing toward two separate buildings which stops him and slingshots him through the sky.

It takes him less than two minutes to get back and when he does, he notices that there are three holes in Barnum's window. He lands on the building across the street where he finds a scope for a rifle and as he looks across the street into the room, he notices that Barnum is dead.

Suddenly, his spider-sense goes insane. He turns around quickly and shoots a web at a man pointing a sniper rifle toward him. The web sticks to the gun and Spidey pulls it toward himself, but not before a shot goes off and a bullet goes through his right shoulder. It hurts, but he's been through a hell of a lot worse in his lifetime and he's able to work through the pain. The other man tries to run away but Spider-Man jumps high into the air with high altitude and lands directly in front of him, causing him to run into Spidey and fall to the ground. The spider shoots webbing at the other man wrapping him in a sort of cocoon with only his head sticking out. Afterwards, he picks up the man and tosses him over the edge of the building. As the man starts screaming in a panicky voice, hoping not to die, Spidey shoots another web at him and sticks it to the building. Now the man's hanging upside down above the streets of New York, still panicked but not screaming anymore. The webslinger jumps off and shoots a web upward which sticks to the building. He pulls his legs up so that he's upside down and, as he holds on to the web with both hands and feet, he lowers himself to the other man's level. Once there, he asks in a jovial voice, "How's it hanging?"

"Get me down!" the man screams with anger in his voice but the spider can sense something else as well: fear. He can use that to his advantage.

Spider-Man smiles, even though the man can't see it, and says, "Down? That's easy. I can just tear the webbing and you'll go straight down."

"No, no," the man responds, "Up, or anywhere but here, please."

"All right here's the deal," Spidey says, now with a serious voice, "I've had a really crummy week and you just shot a guy that I needed to get some answers from. So you're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'll leave you here. Oh and by the way, the webbing isn't permanent it'll dissolve. Just thought you should know that."

"Okay," the man responds calming down a little, "I'll tell you anything."

"All right," Spider-Man answers, "First off, who sent you to kill Barnum and why?"

"Nobody sent me. Me and Barnum were partners and we were hired to kill _you_. The guy who did gave us half-a-mil up front plus that armored suit. Barnum decided he wanted to wear and I didn't argue cause he was Mr. GI Joe Marine. When he got caught, I thought he might turn on me so I decided to take him out. I got up here and saw you just as you were taking off. I waited a little and once I knew you were gone (or at least I though I did) I took the shot."

Spidey takes the information in and then asks, "So then who hired you to kill me?"

"I don't know his name," the man says. "But I think he might've been a mutant, just cause of the way he looked. I mean, when we met, it was dark but I was able to see a little of his face. It was really, really pale and he had sharp teeth. I mean like T-Rex fangs."

Spider-Man thinks about what mutant he might be describing but comes up with a blank. He then asks, "Are you sure that's it? Is there anything you're not telling me?"

"No, I… …Oh wait, there is something else. He said he wanted a sample of your blood once you were dead. Don't ask why cause I don't know. But I swear, other than that…"

"Freeze!" Both Spidey and the other man hear the voice coming from above. It's two cops pointing there guns down at them.

"Guess that's my cue to leave," Spider-Man says to the other man just before jumping away from the building and swinging off into the distance. While swinging through the city, he starts to ponder who the mutant could possible be when suddenly a voice echoes through his head. _Hello Wallcrawler._

"Who's there?" a befuddled Spider-Man asks out loud.

The voice continues: _I am the one you are looking for; the man who hired those two simpletons to kill you, though, I have to admit, I never doubted that they would fail in the task. However, they obtained your attention and that is all I require. My name is Mr. Sinister and if you wish to locate me in order to seek vengeance on the one responsible for the three who perished two days ago you may find me here. _Suddenly, an image of a warehouse appears in the spider's head. _No rush; take a few days if you need them, I will wait for you whenever you're ready._

The voice goes away. Spider-Man continues his voyage through the city and worries about what to do next. _It's a trap, _he thinks to himself. _I know it's a trap and what's worse he knows I'm still going to go. He's right. I do want vengeance but more than that I need it. I need to know that those cops and that kid didn't die in vain. Too many people have died for my sins, but I'm hoping against all hope that bringing down this Sinister guy can bring me one step closer to redemption; but not tonight, I gotta patch up my arm and get some rest. Something tells me, this is going to be a hard fight._


End file.
